Our team is constantly in pursuit of what’s new and next. We read dozens of research reports and e-zines daily and have conversations with marketing leaders from businesses, non-profits and higher education institutions to learn what’s working and what we can do to increase ROI for our clients.

Today I received an email from AMA showcasing the results of IBM’s Email Marketing Benchmark Study. There were many great data points and takeaways relevant to higher education.

The higher ed recruitment cycle is much different than purchasing a pair of shoes. However, if we think of key recruitment timeframes from inquiry to application and treat those periods differently, clear similarities emerge. Every brand tries to build a long-term relationship with prospects and clients, and email marketing is at the core of building those relationships.

[Tweet “Email marketing is at the core of building long-term relationship with prospects. #HigherEd”]

Make It About the Reader

“The mean (average) open rate was 18.8 percent lower during the holiday season. The mean click-through rate was down 28.6 percent on holiday messages. However, the click-to-open rate varied less than one percentage point between the two time periods.

The findings, which you can read more about starting on p. 21, suggest that some retailers’ failure to deliver personalized content and offers is resulting in lost engagement and revenue.“

Relevant, interesting and action-oriented content is in demand. Check out the personalized email I received from eCornell. It checks all of the boxes perfectly, providing course suggestions that relate to my interests and helpful webinars relevant to my position and career.

Be the Best at Measurement and Strategy

“During heavy volume time frames, the higher cadence of emails typically produces fewer opens and clicks per message sent but more opens and clicks in total. This can be attributed to the “frequency math effect.”

Think of it like this: Suppose you double your frequency, but see open or click rates going down by 15 to 20 percent from one message to the next. That’s not necessarily reason to panic because they should have a market increase in total opens and clicks.”

Set key benchmarks to measure based on industry standards. Then measure individual email performance and overall metrics through your CRM or email provider and Google Analytics.

The IBM report is full of data including benchmark opens and clicks by industry.

[Tweet “In today’s super-competitive marketplace, ‘average’ has become the new bottom.”]

“Most studies focus only on “average” benchmarks. However, in today’s super-competitive marketplace, “average” has become the new bottom. So, we encourage you to set your sights higher. Compare your company’s open, click-through and list churn results to those you find in the top and bottom quartiles for each measurement as well as the mean and the median. “

Also check with your email provider for statistics related directly to your market and how you stack up against other institutions.

Test Like It’s the Bar Exam

Two other big variables impact how your content resonates with audiences – when the emails are sent and what types of engagement content they include. Here are two of my favorite higher ed examples:

University of Notre Dame – Sunday Lenten Reflection

The University of Notre Dame Alumni Association sends a Sunday Lenten Reflection throughout Lent. The content is spot on, and they do a fantastic job of measuring views on mobile and desktop, geographic distribution of readers, overall engagement with all elements of the content and completion of other goals through Google Analytics.

Winterline Global Skills Program – Friday Email Blast

Each Friday, Winterline sends an email with incredibly personal and relevant content showcasing student experiences through the students’ eyes. The newsletter introduces current students through blogs and videos and includes a packing list for your gap year trip, reflections on student experiences and awesome videos.

Email is an important aspect of any communication funnel and one of the most effective tools for engagement. Fine-tuning your email strategy for success is simple: make it about the reader, be the best at measurement and strategy and test like it’s the bar exam.

[Tweet “Email is important to any communication funnel and one of the most effective tools for engagement.”]

Looking for more tips on email marketing? Check out Amanda’s blog post, 5 Emails You Should Be Sending to Nurture Inquiries.

Source IBM Marketing Cloud 2016 Email Marketing Metrics Survey